Wine and Sushi: Which Pair Best Together?

As one of the world’s premier sushi destinations, we help our guests make wine selections every day. To help you round out a delicious meal at home or when dining at our Scottsdale sushi bar, the following are some of the best sushi and wine pairings we can recommend.

Riesling

Dry and sweet Rieslings are both good choices to pair with sushi because their effervescence and fruity flavors don’t overwhelm the soft and delicate flavors of fish and rice. Sweet Rieslings from the Alsace region of eastern France, such as Willm Riesling or Helfrich Grand Cru, work especially well with teriyaki dishes.

Chenin Blanc

Chenin Blancs from France’s Loire Valley deliver a flavor that is crisp but gentle. Whether they have notes of pear, apple, passion fruit or lime, a sweet or sparkling Chenin Blanc is a good match for everything from tuna rolls to tempura. Domaine Toussaint Vouvray and Jardin Inspector Peringuey are fantastic choices that won’t leave you disappointed.

Champagne

Champagne goes well with everything from strawberries to caviar, but it might surprise you that it also goes well with sushi. The bubbles can help enhance the flavor of the sushi as well as assist in cleansing the palate after each bite. Blanc de Blancs, including Krug and Tattinger Comtes de Champagne, made solely from Chardonnay, do a marvelous job of bringing out the briny flavors and highlighting the soft textures of delicate fish, such as white tuna and albacore.

Chablis

Chablis are simple and food-friendly white wines grown in the rich soil just north of Burgundy, France. Chablis are one of the most popular wines in Japan in part because they pair perfectly with sushi. This may be due to the fact that the region is rich with the fossils of oysters, mollusks and other sea creatures that once inhabited the land. Domaine Billaud-Simon and Domaine Millet are two small-vint options. If you prefer old vines, be sure to take a look at the Samuel Billaud Mont De Milieu 1er Cru.

Two Secrets that Bring Harmony to Every Plate and Palate

Soy sauce and wasabi are core flavors within the majority of sushi meals. These strong flavors can easily overpower other aromas and leave the taste buds wondering what they’re missing out on. Achieving a balance between sushi and wine begins with choosing the right wine and also requires using the soy and wasabi sparingly.

We invite you to contact Roka Akor to make a reservation, to learn how to pair the best wine with sushi, and to discover more about the special events we host, including our upcoming Mangalitsa Swine Dinner at our Scottsdale location.